Superior GeneralFr. Louis Lougen - Writings

JMJ - Talk 3August 13th, 2011 - Witnesses in the world - Malaga

The example of the 22 Missionary Oblates of
Mary Immaculate who were martyred in Spain is a strong and brilliant witness to
confession of faith in Jesus Christ. For
the sole reason that these men were believers in Jesus Christ and had
consecrated their lives to him, they were despised and brutally executed. They were young men, conscious and aware that
a violent death awaited them because of their faith. They were made to suffer ruthlessly so that
they would abandon their faith to save their lives. Heroically, they were faithful to Jesus and
to the Catholic faith right up to their brutal deaths.

What do we learn from these witnesses? I would propose four qualities:

1
– The Spirit’s gift of Courage and Strength

2
– Love for Jesus and for the Catholic Church

3
– The spiritual power of Love, Forgiveness, Prayer and Joy

4
– Gift of self: Oblation

The
first thing we learn from the martyrs: The Spirit’s gift of Courage and Strength
to be faithful:

These young men knew what was happening in
Spain at the time. They were threatened
publicly with people shouting at them, “Kill those Brothers!” In the streets,
people made gestures with knives cutting throats to indicate what should be
done to religious men. From their residence, the Oblates could see the smoke of
burning churches and convents destroyed by those who hated the Church. Among themselves, the Oblates talked about
how they would escape from their residence if it were set on fire. Even in this climate of hostility, they went
on faithfully with their prayers, studies and work right up to the time of
imprisonment.

In the jail, they were treated mercilessly
with scant food, humiliations, physical beatings, bitter cold, poor hygienic
conditions for toilet needs and lice.
Crowded conditions and the bitter cold forced them to sleep standing up
at times.

The response of these men was unfailing courage
and strength. They endured the
conditions in the jail with a spirit of prayer.
They remained closely united, caring for each other and encouraging one
another and they maintained spirits of serenity and even joy, trusting in
God.

The exact words of Clemente Rodriguez
Tejerina, 18 years old, were recounted by his sister: “We are in danger and we
fear that we will be separated; we encourage each other. But even if we have to die, I am ready, and I
am sure that God will give us the strength that we need to be faithful.” (p.
58)

The
young Oblate martyrs of Spain teach us that God always gives us the Spirit of
Courage and Strength to be faithful in the face of tremendous suffering.

The
second thing we learn from the martyrs: Love for Jesus and for the Catholic
Church: These
men were made to suffer and were killed because they were Catholic priests and Brothers. To save themselves they only had to renounce
their faith and deny their beliefs. What
would it matter? Who would care? Why suffer so much? Why cause pain for their families?

In the suffering that led up to their
execution before the death squads, they professed their faith in Jesus Christ, their
love for the Catholic Church and for their missionary vocation. One of the martyrs, Publio Rodriguez Moslares,
24 years old, had given his mother a small crucifix and told her: “Kiss it
frequently, and whatever happens, remember that everything we suffer for
Christ, no matter how great it seems, would be small compared to how much
Christ loves us and suffered for us.” (p. 36).
As they were executed they cried out their profession of faith: “Long
live Christ the King!”

Gregorio Escobar Garcia, executed at 24 years
of age wrote: “I have always been
profoundly moved by the stories of the martyrs.
Whenever I have read about them, I have been taken by a secret desire to
have the same fate. This would be the
greatest priesthood to which a Christian could aspire: to offer to God one’s
own body and blood in sacrifice for the faith.
What a blessing it would be to die as a martyr.” (p. 24)

Today we are rarely threatened with death
for believing in Jesus and being Catholic, although it still does happen in
some parts of the world. We can express
our love for Jesus and the Church by faithfully living the Gospel with
integrity. Following Jesus is not easy
when I am truly committed to make the faith a living relationship with God that
shapes everything else I do, how I relate to others and what I believe is right
and wrong.

The
young Oblate martyrs of Spain teach us that our faith in Jesus Christ lived in
the Catholic Church is the most precious possession we have and that it should be
our faith that most influences and shapes our lives.

The
third thing we learn from the martyrs: The spiritual power of Love, Forgiveness,
Prayer and Joy:

Father Francisco Esteban Lacal, the
Provincial, executed at 48 years of age, received a coat from his family to
keep himself warm in the cold prison. Not
thinking of his own needs or comfort, he promptly gave it to another companion
in prison who was suffering much from the bitter cold. (p.11)

Father Francisco was heard to have said to
the guards: “We know that you are
killing us because we are Catholics and religious; we are that. I and my companions forgive you from our
hearts.” (p.8)

One Oblate that survived this tragic period
said: “In our inner self, the thing that most stood out was the spirit of
forgiveness time and time again… (p.55)

Relatives of those in prison heard that the
Oblates tried secretly to pray the Rosary together when they walked in the
patio and even in their cells. (p. 11).

Publio Rodriguez Moslares (24 years old),
with one of the priests, entertained the seminarians in the jail with comedies
in verse. A witness wrote about Publio: “He was able to endure the jails in Madrid
with integrity and joy and when they gave him provisional liberty it was
especially he who kept his companions who were suffering this Calvary connected
to one another and to their Superiors, going from one place to another.”(p.
36).

Although they were aware of impending
death, these Oblates chose to live the Gospel mandate to love their enemies,
forgive and pray for those who persecuted them and to rejoice for being made to
suffer for the name of Jesus. In society
today, pleasure, ease and comfort are the ultimate goals of life. We see a challenging
and prophetic message in the lives of these Oblates. They question the way we live and call us to
be authentic witnesses of our Christian faith.

The
young Oblate martyrs of Spain teach us that even in the face of torture,
suffering and death, we are called as Jesus taught us, to forgive, to love our
enemies, to pray for them and to rejoice that we are persecuted for the Name of
Jesus.

The
fourth thing we learn from the martyrs: The Gift of Self - Oblation

These men were Missionary Oblates of Mary
Immaculate. The word “Oblate” means an
oblation, an offering. Through our way
of life we Oblates strive to offer our lives to God through Mary, the Mother of
Jesus. We make a gift of ourselves to
serve God’s people, especially the poor.
The passion and death of these 22 Oblates of Mary Immaculate, was the
total gift of their lives for Jesus Christ, their Lord; it was the gift of
their lives for the good of the people of Spain; it was the gift of their lives
for the good of the mission of the Church and of the Oblates all over the
world. Many of them were filled with
Oblate zeal preparing to head to the missions that the Province of Spain had in
Argentina and Uruguay. They did not
reach their missionary destinations, but their violent execution was the
complete oblation, the total gift of self offered to God for the good of Christ’s
mission.

One of the Oblates who was not executed
gave this testimony: “What also stood
out was the desire to offer our lives for the Church, for the peace of Spain
and for those whom we thought were going to execute us. The only motive that guided us was
supernatural since humanly speaking we had lost everything. (p.55). This is a perfect expression of
oblation, offering oneself for others.

Another Oblate witness stated, “Their
reaction in the face of martyrdom was that of great serenity, self-control and
prayer to the Lord. They wanted to
fulfill the desire to complete their oblation.” (p. 63).

Each one of us is invited to offer our
lives to God for the service of the Gospel, to live out our faith and to be
witnesses. Because of our Baptism and
Confirmation we are sent as followers of Jesus to be the light of God’s love in
the world. We are all called to make a
gift of our lives, to be “oblates” within our families, at school, where we
work, when playing sports and in all our relationships. Jesus showed us this so strongly when he
washed his disciples’ feet as a gesture of service and humility. That is the sense of being an “oblate.”

The
young Oblate martyrs of Spain teach us that our life has its deepest and most
beautiful meaning when we live for others and make our life a gift, an
offering, an oblation.

As we experience the communion of the
saints in this land washed with the blood of these 22 young Spanish Oblates,
may the Holy Spirit strengthen our hearts so that we, as young Catholics, also
witness to our faith in Jesus Christ with a spirit of prayer, love, forgiveness
and joy, making our lives an oblation to God.

God bless you all. Thank you.

……………………………………………….

The page numbers are taken from the work: “MÁRTIRES OBLATOS” by Joaquin Martinez
Vega, O.M.I., Postulator General, Roma